An Introduction to Transnational Criminal Law

Neil Boister

A comprehensive introduction to this rapidly developing area of international law

Examines the multilateral treaty provisions that oblige states to criminalize a broad range of offenses from piracy and terrorism to drug trafficking

Detailed analysis of the establishment of jurisdiction over these crimes and various ways in which it can be enforced

Truly global perspective, using a range of examples of national law from all over the world

An Introduction to Transnational Criminal Law

Neil Boister

Description

The suppression of cross-border criminal activity has become a major global concern. An Introduction to Transnational Criminal Lawexamines how states, acting together, are responding to these forms of criminality through a combination of international treaty obligations and national criminal laws. Multilateral 'suppression conventions' oblige states parties to criminalize a broad range of activities including drug trafficking, terrorism, transnational organized crime, corruption, and money laundering, and to provide for different types of international procedural cooperation like extradition and mutual legal assistance in regard to these offences. Usually regarded as a sub-set of international criminal justice, this system of law is beginning to receive greater
attention as a subject in its own right as the scale of the criminal threat and the complexity of synergizing the criminal laws of different states is more fully understood.

The book is divided into three parts. Part A asks and attempts to answer what is transnational crime and what is transnational criminal law? Part B explores a selection of substantive transnational crimes from piracy through to cybercrime. Part C examines the main procedural mechanisms involved in establishing jurisdiction and then the exercise of jurisdiction through the effective investigation and prosecution of transnational crimes. Finally, Part D looks at the implementation of transnational criminal law and the prospects for transnational criminal justice. Until recently this system of law has been
largely the domain of professionals. An Introduction to Transnational Criminal Law provides a comprehensive introduction designed to fill that gap.

An Introduction to Transnational Criminal Law

Neil Boister

Author Information

Professor Neil Boister teaches Criminal Law, Transnational Criminal Law, International Criminal Law, and International Law at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. His principal research interest is the suppression of transnational crime through international law. He has written numerous articles on the subject. Neil Boister works as a consultant for NGOs in the area of the legal regulation of transnational crime and is currently involved in the development of a Protocol on the Illicit Trade in Tobacco. Finally, he is also the author of a number of pieces in international criminal law strict sensu, including The Tokyo International Military Tribunal, A Reappraisal (Oxford: OUP, 2008) (together with Professor Cryer).